Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 25 (ANI): Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for the death of a 27-year-old software engineer in Noida, claiming that the delayed actions of the Chief Minister, and the governement led to the tragedy. The former Chief Minister alleged that the victim, Yuvraj Mehta, lost his life because the administrative machinery failed to provide a timely rescue.

Addressing the media, the former Chief Minister said, 'It was the responsibility of those who reached there first (to save him), be it the fire brigade or the police. It was 'Dial 100's' job to reach the spot within five minutes. This life was lost because the Chief Minister destroyed Dial 100. They made Dial 100 fall prey to corruption. If that man lost his life, it is due to the Chief Minister and the Government, who destroyed Dial 100. They must be removing CEO Noida because he must not have done something they wanted. They should have removed the Police. But how can they do that? Can they remove a senior Police officer from Noida? Can they remove DM? If they remove the DM, there will be issues with the voter list.' He referred to the police as 'Dial 100'.

Meanwhile, IAS officer Krishna Karunesh, who was previously serving as District Magistrate of Gorakhpur, on Saturday was appointed as the in-charge CEO of Noida Authority.

This comes after M Lokesh, the previous Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Noida and Managing Director of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), was suspended by the Uttar Pradesh government on January 19 following the death of a 27-year-old techie.

The accident, which occurred on the night of January 16-17 under the jurisdiction of Knowledge Park Police Station, involved a car plunging into a drain at the Sector 150 intersection, resulting in the death of 27-year-old Yuvraj Mehta.

The post-mortem report revealed the cause of death as 'asphyxia due to antemortem drowning followed by cardiac arrest.'

Following the incident, CM Yogi Adityanath formed a Special Investigation Team under the leadership of the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Meerut Zone, which comprises the Divisional Commissioner, Meerut, and the Chief Engineer, PWD. According to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), it has been tasked to submit its report to the CM within five days.

The victim's family has alleged gross administrative negligence, claiming that timely intervention could have saved Yuvraj's life as he struggled in the water for nearly two hours. (ANI)